Clothes Dryers: Ratings of Sources

Our AssessmentConsumerReports.org rates more than 130 electric and gas clothes dryers; each receives an overall rating plus individual scores for drying performance, capacity, convenience and noise. Not all the dryers rated here have actually been tested, however; some are evaluated based on their similarity to tested models. The ratings for dryers cover a much wider range than most products reviewed at this site, with overall scores ranging from very good to poor. Some dryers are discontinued. Top picks are specifically recommended.

Our AssessmentReviewed.com looks at a number of dryers, considering factors such as design, usability, performance and features. They also conduct formal testing to see how well each dryer performs on different settings including normal, delicate, bulky and quick drying. Testing is well explained. Some dryers are discontinued. Top products are clearly identified by Editors' Choice and Best of the Year designations.

Our AssessmentHomeDepot.com sells more than 200 gas and electric dryers. Some dryers have a handful of reviews, while others have hundreds. HomeDepot.com's user reviews are drawn from its own customers, but also from those posting on other sites, most often manufacturer websites. These additional reviews provide a wider base of reference, and appear to be unbiased, since negative as well as positive reactions are posted. However, these manufacturer-site reviews are duplicated at numerous other sites across the web, including Lowes.com and AJMadison.com, which makes getting a true assessment of user sentiment much more difficult.

Our AssessmentBestBuy.com is a good source to check for user reviews of dryers. Although it does not have as large a volume of reviews as HomeDepot.com, we still found several mostly electric dryers with high ratings and at least 100 reviews by Best Buy shoppers. BestBuy.com provides links to additional reviews at manufacturers' sites, but does not tally those with its own user reviews. That makes BestBuy.com the best site for getting a second (or first) read on user satisfaction.

Our AssessmentLowe's, a major home-improvement retailer, sells more than 230 dryer models. User feedback on this site looks high, but is inflated in many cases by reviews taken from manufacturer web sites. While these reviews are unbiased, it appears, most duplicate feedback we saw elsewhere, including HomeDepot.com. Because of that, you are probably best off considering user reviews at HomeDepot.com or Lowes.com, but not both.

Our AssessmentJ.D. Power and Associates doesn't test dryers; rather, it measures overall customer satisfaction with the major appliance brands. For the 2014 study, more than 6,600 consumers who recently purchased laundry appliances are asked about their overall satisfaction. For the second year, LG finishes on top. Ease-of-use, appearance/styling, features and price are strengths. Samsung also makes a strong showing, following LG in the rankings.

Our AssessmentSears.com sells around 300 clothes dryers and is the only retailer of Kenmore dryers, so it's a good source to check for reviews of that brand even though most Kenmore dryers receive no more than a handful of owner reviews. Other brands listed appear to have much more feedback, but numbers of reviews are greatly inflated by reviews taken from manufacturers' sites, and Sears does a poor job making that clear. Some reviews are from verified Sears buyers, however.

Our AssessmentOnline appliance retailer AJMadison.com has a good selection of clothes dryers. Once again, reviews are sometimes taken from manufacturers' web sites, so total numbers of reviews can be misleading. On the positive side, AJMadison.com clearly identifies those reviews that are sourced elsewhere so you can determine how helpful the feedback on a specific model truly is.

Our AssessmentTopTenReviews.com rates and ranks dryers on the basis of features, efficiency ratings and the maker's customer support and general helpfulness, but apparently not on performance. The most useful feature is a specification chart that compares the rated dryers side by side, plus some educational information, such as how many towels you can fit into a dryer of a given size. Many of the dryers listed are older models, but most seem to still be available at retail.

Our AssessmentGood Housekeeping has been a reliable reviewer of dryers in the past, but has not updated its coverage since 2011. As a result, most of the dryers it has tested are now discontinued, but a few might still be found at retail stores. Testers at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute measure drying time with both small and large loads, dry comforters and evaluate wrinkle removal and ease of use. They also call each manufacturer's customer service line to gauge response time and helpfulness. Based on all these criteria, each dryer is assigned a letter grade.

Our AssessmentDigitalTrends.com, a technology news and reviews site, has only recently begun testing dryers. Despite a plethora of listings, only two models have been reviewed to date. The write ups are long, and indicate that testing has been done.

Our AssessmentA few clothes dryers at Viewpoints.com, a user review site, attract a good number of reviews, but most dryers have just one or two ratings, and most of the best rated ones are discontinued or hard to find.

Our AssessmentThis extremely active discussion site includes thousands of posts on all sorts of large appliances, and the laundry forum provides many comments on washers and dryers. A number of people who post have a surprising amount of knowledge about not only dryers but also potential pitfalls and repairs. If you have any kind of problem, chances are someone here has encountered it, as well. However, the discussions about dryers aren't as active as those about washers.

Our AssessmentThe dryer category on Amazon.com includes lots of models, but intermingled listings for parts, accessories and drying racks make browsing difficult. In addition, few dryers have any user reviews, which makes Amazon.com only worth a quick check for user feedback once you have specific models in mind.

This is our assessment of the review’s relevance, clarity of testing and thoroughness.

Read more about our Ratings Criteria by clicking the link at the top of the page.

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